“It’s uncomfortable.” “I find it confusing.” “How do I do it?” “Where do I place the ball?” “It doesn’t work.” All are responses I’ve addressed in the past four years. Each is related to the other, because they all have to do with THINKING ABOUT YOUR SET-UP. Golfers don’t like thinking about set-up. However, I suggest thinking is exactly the reason why an open stance wins the set-up debate.

There is an unnatural quality to opening our stance to hit a golf shot. We have to make the choice. Any choice expresses our intention. Likewise, our movement expresses our choice. Therefore, our movement expresses our intention. The Open Stance set-up makes us think, which implicitly means – plan. We may feel disoriented trying to set all the elements into place. But, that is exactly the point.

Homer Kelley and his disciples gave us permission to shut off our brains when we address a golf shot. He was wrong for precisely this reason. For the last fifty years, golfers of all handicaps have been approaching golf without so much as a thought about repeating their set-up. Perfecting motion has been the focus. We try to repeat motion while ignoring the platform, which means all we can really repeat is the same inattention.

We must think to play good golf. If you’d like to debate me on this issue, let me know. However, my substantiation is in the amount of concentration required to set up open consistently in practice. It is oppressive, at first. I consistently talk golfers down from the ledge before they take control of their own process.

Adopting and adapting to an Open Stance requires that deliberate, intentional choices be made before we swing. Doing so is not a bad thing. It is a great thing! For the first time, you are actually thinking about how your set-up affects your swing. Thinking about setting our feet, hips, shoulders, arms, and grip means we are finally awake. It’s a good start. End of debate.

Open your stance, and play golf.

John Wright – Founder
The Open Stance Academy